At the start of the 2013 – 2014 school year, the budget process began internally with a significantly different conversation. All HCPS employees were given the opportunity to provide their thoughts on potential cost-saving, revenue-generating, and cost avoidance measures. In addition, an employee-only budget open forum session was held to allow employees the opportunity to provide their input directly to the Superintendent.

From there, the public was fully-engaged in the process. In addition to two public open forums, the dedicated budget email account, budget@hcps.org, was open for all interested community members to provide feedback in any form they felt appropriate. The email remained open until this Board voted on the final approved budget for FY2015.

The Superintendent and her Leadership Team spent countless hours reviewing and considering, in great detail, each proposal, suggestion and idea. Thoughtful consideration was given to each idea and many of the ideas were incorporated into this budget request. We heard very clearly from the public and our employees that our focus must be on the academic needs of our students and restoring our employees to a competitive wage package within the job market. With that in mind, the FY 2015 operating budget was driven by four core objectives: preserving the integrity of the instructional programs, preserving jobs, restoring our salary structure to ensure it is competitive with other systems, and preserving employee benefits.

The Board of Education’s budget for FY 2015 was approved by the board on June 9, 2014 and by the Harford County Council on September 2, 2014.

The Operating Budget represents the comprehensive policy "blue print" of how resources
are invested to fulfill our mission and beliefs to provide excellent quality education
for all students every day. The Budget is developed and aligned with state and federal
law, the HCPS Master Plan, Board goals and benchmarks and the Strategic Plan.

The Operating Budget represents the comprehensive policy "blue print" of how resources
are invested to fulfill our mission and beliefs to provide excellent quality education
for all students every day. The Budget is developed and aligned with state and federal
law, the HCPS Master Plan, Board goals and benchmarks and the Strategic Plan.

The Operating Budget represents the comprehensive policy "blue print" of how resources
are invested to fulfill our mission and beliefs to provide excellent quality education
for all students every day. The Budget is developed and aligned with state and federal
law, the HCPS Master Plan, Board goals and benchmarks and the Strategic Plan.

Master Plan – A State Requirement,
describes the Master Plan and Board Goals for 2009. Strategies within the Master
Plan are identified as to the progress made during FY 2008 and challenges going
forward.

Strategic Plan,
provides a comprehensive summary overview of the school system and students.

System Performance,
provides performance measures, national acknowledgements, and test results for the
students.

Revenue Section,
provides a detailed summary of all revenues for the Operating Budget.

Expenditure Section,
provides a detailed summary of all expenditures of the Unrestricted Fund, summary
of staffing, intervention/school improvements, and priority list for enhancements
to the school system.

Summary of Unrestricted Operating Budget Changes,
provides a summary of all new dollars added to the operating budget by wages & benefits,
cost of doing business, costs for new 11th grade at Patterson Mill Middle/High School,
special educations costs, intervention programs, and the priority list for educational
enhancements by board goal.

Revenue Section,
provides a detailed summary of all revenues for the Operating Budget.

Expenditure Section,
provides a detailed summary of all expenditures of the Unrestricted Fund, summary
of staffing, intervention/school improvements, and priority list for enhancements
to the school system.

Summary of Unrestricted Operating Budget Changes,
provides a summary of all new dollars added to the operating budget by wages &
benefits, cost of doing business, operating costs to open Patterson Mill Middle/High
School, special educations costs, and intervention programs by board goal.

How can I get involved with the budget process?(Last Updated on:
10/9/2014)

The public is invited to participate in public input sessions as the Superintendent, Board of Education, and County Executive work through the process. Those meeting dates, times and location can be found on www.hcps.org/budget when available.

You can also email questions and comments to budget@hcps.org throughout the year and participate in HCPS Twitter chats.

When is the Harford County Public Schools budget approved and finalized?(Last Updated on:
10/9/2014)

The
deadline for the County Council to approve the HCPS budget is June 15. It is approved
by the Board of Education in late June, and officialized by the Maryland State
Department of Education in July.

Collective bargaining is the labor negotiation process required by the state of Maryland that Harford County Public Schools Board of Education completes in determining the budget.

During this process, the Board formally negotiates labor contracts with employee associations of unions (or bargaining units). State law requires that these labor contracts include items such as work hours, salary, healthcare benefits, and working conditions. A negotiated contract must be ratified by both the Board and employee members of each unit.

There are many people involved in the fair distribution of school funds: The principal and administrative staff at each school determines the use of allocated funds at their school based on student needs.

The Superintendent and leadership team collaborate on the annual budget design.

The Harford County Executive and County Council determine the allocation of funds for the Board of Education.

The Maryland State Legislature and Governor determine the amount of state school funding and allocation of funds to each school district.

The U.S. Congress and President of the United States determine the amount of federal school funding and allocation among states and school districts.

Citizens, like yourself, provide input by voting for elected officials, attending Board of Education meetings and budget work sessions, and participating in County budget hearings.